A self-care journal, an ultimate gift to oneself.
Self-care is a buzzword, a necessary part of life in our stressful times. As this creative, insightful journal demonstrates, self-care is whatever we want it to be. Taking a walk in nature. Meeting friends for tea. Revising that bucket list or writing one for the first time. Author Lisa Currie encourages & inspires us to carve out quality time to take care of ourself. Notes To Self: A Journal For Self-Care. Motivational.
Germany. It’s cities are incredible. Berlin’s hip status & Brandenburg Gate, Munich’s historic Bavarian charm & beer Oktoberfest, Frankfurt’s buzzing financial district & world-class museums. Long hikes in the spectacular Black Forest, refreshing swims in the lakes, sweeping sands on the northern coast are waiting to be explored. Innumerable attractions from opulent palaces, mysterious castles, countless churches, rich forests, soaring mountains to picturesque villages. The north offers glittering seaside cities like Bremen & Hamburg. Countless gems like 45,000 year old caves.
Where the Danube, Naab & Regen rivers meet, Regensburg in Bavaria is an old town. 3rd largest lake in Central Europe, scenic Lake Constance is nestled in the foothills of the Alps straddling the German, Austrian & Swiss borders. Cologne Cathedral, a stunning Gothic church contains the gifts of the Magi mentioned in the Bible. Twelve Romanesque Churches are magnificent examples of medieval architecture. Enjoy Bach’s music at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Capital of the Holy Roman Empire, home of German kings – Nuremberg.
Named after dark, dense woods that cover valleys & hills, the Black Forest is most picturesque. Gushing rivers, sparkling lakes, flower-filled meadows. Freiburg – Jewel of the Black Forest & the spa town of Baden-Baden are unforgettable. Centuries old abbeys & monasteries, scenic vineyards, modern ski resorts. Middle Rhine flows through a dramatic geological formation called the Rhine Gorge. Features a spectacular landscape dotted with medieval castles, charming villages & terraced vineyards. Marksburg Castle, Stolzenfels, Pfalzgrafenstein, Electoral Palace & Stahleck Castle. Medieval Old Bridge, the Heidelberg Castle, Church of Holy Spirit & Knight St. George House make Heidelberg wonderful. Neuschwanstein Castle commissioned by King Ludwig II looks so magical that Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle was modelled on it. Germany has it all to explore.
Email: Will we revert back to old work routines after the pandemic, a working mother? (France)
Empathetic, a humble perspective. With vaccines, the challenging impact of Covid-19 on people’s lives & business environments will gradually lessen. But, organisations can resist a complete reversion to pre-pandemic work practices. Crisis offers a unique opportunity to experiment, innovate with fresh ideas. Currently, there’s a lower resistance to change at work. Helps organisations evolve out of dysfunctional ways of working difficult to shed in normal times. Digital transformations, remote learning & working are metamorphic.
Initially, circumstances compelled companies to react in swift, pragmatic ways to keep the pace to survive. We can now reflect, identify which new practices are effective, why are they successful? While online teaching was reasonably successful, administrators have now asked teachers to run lectures, irrespective of whether a physical class is necessary. A careful determination of which classes facilitate co-creation, necessitate inter-personal interactions will help.
We can review, eliminate activities considered a norm previously but are no longer required like in-person morning work meetings. Employee assumptions about routines makes the risk of failure high. Some are enthusiastic, hope changes are sustained. Others are comfortable with change given the extraordinary situation but believe it should be reversed once the pandemic is over. Leaders can transparently set uniform expectations. Companies can ensure best practices are cemented into new realities. Beyond initial roll-outs & information sharing, regularly reinforce, recognise & reward efficient work behaviours. All the best.
Email: 15th wedding anniversary. Love travel, city-life. (S. Korea)
Happy Anniversary!
It’s taken over 2,700 years to build the city of Rome. One of the world’s great empires, home to some of the most spectacular architectural sites & Renaissance art. Rome’s imperial pomp at The Coliseum, The Pantheon & the Roman Forum is awe-inspiring. St Peter’s Basilica & the Sistine Chapel tell us the history of Vatican & Christianity. Admire Michaelangelo’s famed dome & the Pietà, his marble sculpture of Mary holding the body of Christ. Vatican Museum hosts the precious Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, Raphael rooms, ancient Greek sculpture of Laocoön dating 1st century BC. Back streets & cobbled squares invite for pizzas, pastas, cappuccinos, fresh cornettos or wines. Simply spectacular, stunning.
Email: Sister’s 60th birthday. Loves travel, the sea. (Australia)
Happy Birthday!
Mexico is home to the best archaeological sites in the world – Palenque’s Mayan temples to ancient city at Teotihuacan. It’s haciendas to town squares & churches are impressive. Mexico City has world-class museums & a vibrant night-life. Beaches from Tulum in the Caribbean to Manzanillo on the Pacific are simply beautiful. Foodies find the freshest cuisine on the planet. Cancún draws people to work & play. Top-notch chefs add a regional Mexican flair to cuisines from the Pacific Rim.
Fabulous facades, cobblestone streets, multi-coloured lakes & mountains make Mexico’s small towns spectacularly photogenic. Bacalar (Quintana Roo), a small town near Cancun is home to the Lake of Seven Colours. Hues of the water go from crystalline to deep turquoise due to under-water cenotes & limestone lakebed. One of the world’s tallest monoliths, San Sebastian Bernal is a picturesque place. Malinalco near Mexico City was an important place for Mexica or Aztecs who built a complex for their military elite. Izamal (Yucatán) boasts a 16th-century Franciscan monastery built on top of a Mesoamerican temple, painted in cheerful canary yellow. Chichen Itza, a UNESCO World Heritage site not to miss. Guadalajara is beloved for two iconic Mexican traditions – tequila & mariachi.
Email: Grandad’s 75th birthday. loves whiskey, travel. (Canada)
Happy Birthday!
Scotland. Best of tartan & whisky. So much more than it’s Highlands, some of the wildest places in the British Isles. Home to the tallest peaks & rarest wildlife in the UK. Islands are simply beautiful from Mull warmed by gulf-stream waters in summer to spring time sea-bird colonies of Shetland & Orkney. Lochs, castles, mountains, rough shores, lush isles are irresistible. For amazing nature therapy we can head to the hills at Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.
Cities standout as creative hubs built on centuries of tradition. Edinburgh’s annual festivals serve up cultural delights – film, literature, theatre. It’s formidable fortress is perched atop Castle Rock, a volcanic plug with rocky cliffs overlooking the city. Glasgow’s art & music scenes are unmatched.
Scotland has 790 islands in 4 groups – Shetland, Orkney, Inner Hebrides & Outer Hebrides. Isle of Islay is the Queen of the Hebrides. Gorgeous, home to 8 distinct distilleries like Laphroaig & Bowmore. Isle of Skye – Inner Hebrides mountainous terrain, an excellent hiking destination. Iconic Iona & the Fingal’s Cave. Pre-historic sites, rugged landscapes, pristine beaches. Closer to Norway, the Northern Lights delight. Surreal, spectacular. Dramatic scenery.
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Email: Partner’s 50th birthday. Loves travel, flowers. (N. Zealand)
Happy Birthday!
Azerbaijan is a South Caucasian country to watch. From the ‘burning mountain‘ of Yanar Dag to the mud volcanoes & petroglyphs of Gobustan, to the beaches of Absheron Peninsula, this ‘Land of Fire‘ offers a dramatic mix of landscapes. Poised at the crossroads of Europe & Asia. It’s people, culture & food are a captivating blend of East meets West. Capital Baku – cobbled streets, 12th-century fortresses, minarets of Old City sit side by side with fiercely modern architecture of Flame Towers & Zaha Hadid’s Heydar Aliyev Centre, reflecting the city’s enormous growth since oil-drilling began in the 19th century.
Dublin, Belfast, Galway or Cork, Ireland’s low & rolling hills, patchwork of green fields are spectacular. The Emerald Isle. The land of saints & scholars invites us to explore the ancient sacred sites of Newgrange & Clonmacnoise. Gaze upon the Book of Kells at Trinity College. Simply soak up the atmosphere in pubs that inspired writers like Flann O’Brien, Brendan Behan & James Joyce. A glorious coastline – Cliffs of Moher & the Giant’s Causeway. A gorgeous 2,500 kms Wild Atlantic Way trail at the Causeway Coastal Route in Northern Ireland. Enjoy chilled world-class Guinness beer along the way.
